Aztec Eternals

Gold candlesticks hang on the four walls of the main hall, showing the wealth of the Portuguese royal family. Candlelight flickers, illuminating the large oil statue of the Virgin, like the Holy Advent. The Virgin Mary's benevolent smile, with the light of humanity, was watching the two people in the temple. This is the latest holy painting from the city-states of the Apennine Peninsula, which completely breaks through the rigidity and abstraction of traditional icons, bringing the saints to life!

Under the watchful eyes of the Virgin, Dias lowered his head and carefully read the precious letter in his hand. This letter took more than half a year and traveled more than 8,000 miles to arrive at the court of Sintra, bringing valuable information from the East.

"My esteemed majesty, your loyal knight attendant, Pero da Covillian returns to you... For the grace of the Lord, for the glory of the kingdom, I am about to set off from Cairo, to the most important of the stars and the moon. The Holy Land, where the legendary holy book first appeared... I have learned many rumours of India and Seris from the merchants I have come to, and on the farther east coast, there will be more detailed news of the sea! . . ."

"Knight Pero da Covillian? It's him!"

Seeing this, Dias's expression flashed, thoughtful. He thought of a young face, with Moorish features, both pious and fearless.

"Well. Little Perrault is of kingdom origin, from Bella, and served for the younger brother of the Duke of Sidonia of Medina. Years ago, he became my knight's squire again, tending my horses. Even though I have enshrined him As a knight, he still often considers himself a squire."

Speaking of this, Joao II smiled. Little Perrault's loyalty is the reason why he chose each other as the envoy and spy of the Portuguese Kingdom.

"Little Pero's ancestors have Moorish blood. He is very proficient in Arabic, and his appearance is easy to confuse... Dias, two years ago, you drove a sea ship from the southern continent to the east. Perot went to Egypt, infiltrated the Arab caravan, and searched for specific information on India and Sirius from the traditional Silk Road... Your discoveries are the kingdom's top secrets!"

Hearing this, Dias nodded slowly. With a look of anticipation on his face, he continued to read.

"...The Mamluk generals of Egypt, and the Ottoman army, in Adana, in the northern Syrian province, have just concluded a campaign that lasted several years. Tens of thousands of Mamluks were out in force and defeated two Ottoman forces. and captured the opposing legionary commander. The Ottomans' ambitions to expand into Syria were temporarily repelled... As I write this letter, Cairo is celebrating victory and giving out free bread..."

"It's just that the Egyptian generals have deep conflicts and frequent infighting. This ancient kingdom of pharaohs seems to be full of a stale taste... Compared with the Ottoman sultans, they are as daunting as lightning. The fighting spirit... huh! The wars of the pagans have no distinction between good and evil, they are all fighting between devils, and among the two devils, I am more optimistic about the new one..."

Seeing this, Dias frowned. Because of the fall of Constantinople, the people of God generally hated and feared the rapidly rising Ottomans. The Mamluk generals in the southern continent have long since lost their aggressive spirit and no longer pose a threat to the world of God. In fact, the Kingdom of Portugal and the Mamluk generals in Egypt even had secret business dealings. And this precious letter was passed back from such a channel.

"...Your Majesty, in the process of talking with Egyptian merchants, I discovered the source of their spices and heard more accurate information from the East. Their spices are all from the trade nodes in the southeast of the Red Sea, connecting the ports of the southern continent. The city of Aden is coming. There, merchant ships to and from India can be found. And this pagan port city will also be my next goal!"

"A port city connecting the southern continent, Aden?"

Dias was slightly startled. He vaguely had a hunch that it was the northernmost point on the east side of the Southern Continent.

"...When I got to Aden, there were not only ships going to India, but also ships going to the east side of the southern continent. According to another merchant from Lower Egypt, from Aden all the way to the south, the entire southern continent is on the east side. They are all black-skinned tribes who believe in Xingyue. In the legend, the kingdom of King Solomon, where the Gate of Alexander and the Fountain of Youth is located, the country of Elder John, is surrounded by the black-skinned tribe of Xingyue!"

"...Your Majesty, after my repeated calculations, the location of Elder John's country is at the southernmost point of the upper reaches of the Nile River, west of the port of Aden... somewhere between 15 degrees north latitude and the equator!"

"Huh? Between 15 degrees north latitude and the equator!"

Seeing this exact description, Dias was shocked. He finally understood why the king asked about nautical latitudes. It turned out that, from the Cape of Good Hope to the east and north, along the edge of the southern continent, it takes a full 40 latitudes to find the country of Elder John!

"Dias, little Pero told me that the eastern side of the southern continent stretches for thousands of miles, but all are black-skinned countries that believe in the moon and stars. There are many merchant fleets of the moon and stars, especially the coastal Oman. There are the most caravans. It is said that in the east of the peninsula near India, there is also a Malik dynasty!"

Speaking of this, Joao II looked solemn and spoke in a deep voice.

"These pagan merchant fleets control the spice trade in India. If the kingdom's caravans want to go north, they must be defeated!"

"Omanis?..."

Dias nodded and remained silent. The kingdom's expedition fleet, after untold hardships, bypassed the southern continent and headed north. Unexpectedly, in the end, it would still collide with the fleet of the Xingyue Pagans!

"Therefore, the kingdom must establish a maritime stronghold along the southern continent, but don't be too aggressive. Before accumulating enough strength, don't go forward too much and attract the navy of the pagans."

Joao II lowered his eyes and set a new maritime strategy. East Africa's sea routes are too far, blocked by storms from the Cape of Good Hope, and the enemy is too strong. At this stage, it is still necessary to consolidate the interests of the West African coast, build more fortresses and strongholds, and control the coastal states and gold mines.

Hearing the meaning of the king's words, Dias was a little anxious. He spoke earnestly again.

"Your Majesty! The route to India is only the last step! I would like to lead the fleet and go to sea again..."

Joao II stretched out his hand and stopped the royal steward's order.

"Dias, don't worry. You can read further. Little Perot will sneak into the Omanis fleet and follow them to India. Moreover, he will record the latitude and signs along the way to provide more accurate information for the kingdom's future voyages. information!"

"...Yes."

Dias pursed his lips and looked at the broken letter in his hand again. For the navigators of the Kingdom of Portugal, the East has never been so near.

"Your Majesty, I learned from an Indian sailor that the land once conquered by Alexander the Great is now occupied by the kingdom of Xingyue! Xingyue religion has penetrated deep into rich India. It once defeated the Ottomans, occupied Persia and The Mongolian Khan in northwest India has been dead for many years. His empire has also been divided..." "And in Mesopotamia, the Aries dynasty of the Turkmens is also falling into division and civil strife. The Ottomans The threats from the east have all disappeared, and there are no more checks and balances..."

Seeing this, Dias looked solemn. He sighed secretly and looked at the end of the letter again.

"God bless! Your Majesty, at the end of the letter, I have one last good news! It is the silk country of the East, the information of the Seris!"

"More than fifty years ago, the emperor of the Seris sent an unusually large merchant fleet to the port of Aden! It is said that the fleet had one or two hundred Clark ships, more than ten thousand sailors and soldiers, Loaded with expensive silk and porcelain from the East, it came from the southernmost part of the Indian mainland... The huge wealth brought by that fleet made the Omani caravan, even after half a century, unforgettable!  … "

"What! One or two hundred Clark ships, more than ten thousand sailors and soldiers?"

Dias' face was full of shock. After a moment, he shook his head and laughed. Such a huge navy, even larger than the total number of Western European countries at this time, must be spreading false rumors! However, the silk and porcelain of the Seris...

Dias raised his head and looked at Joao II. In the eyes of the two of them, there is an extremely longing light flashing! A light Byzantine silk short coat is worth two hundred Venetian ducats, almost a hundred times its own weight. And a silk robe that really comes from Seris, that value is enough to drive the kingdom's nobles crazy!

"The Seris of the East...the Silk Land of Fortune..."

Dias was careful, holding the letter in his hand like he was holding the exquisite and expensive silk of the Seris. He couldn't wait to see the end of the letter.

"The merciful Lord, bless the kingdom! Your Majesty, I will take the Omanis merchant ship to the Holy Land of Xingyue, and then to the port of Aden to find the rich India and Seris!..."

"I also bought some Seris paper from the Omanis~www.readwn.com~, on which there are poems composed of a thousand Seris characters, which are said to be enlightening to young children. And the future of the kingdom, if it wants to To do business with the Seris, you must master their writing... May the Lord bless me and let me return safely!"

"A thousand words of enlightenment? Poems of the Seris?"

Dias looked at the king with curiosity in his eyes. The Sirians loomed in ancient epics, lasting thousands of years. Everything about them is like a veil, except for the silk and porcelain that symbolize wealth, they seem to have a very ancient and splendid civilization.

"Well. The writing of the Seris, just like those recorded by ancient Roman scholars, is a peculiar square text that looks like a mysterious picture..."

Joao II nodded and said with a smile.

"I have asked the royal family's court messengers to study it well... The kingdom's fleet continues to move forward. One day, we will meet the Seris and gain the true wealth of the East!"

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